The Will to Fight
by hinata606
Summary: The Boxing Martial Arts Federation have selected a group of five fighters from each country to go head to head against each other. The winning country will be the reigning champion for four years until the next match. Please review! Thanks !


**Alright, hey everyone. This is not my first fic, but it is my first hajime no ippo fic, so I hope that you will give me your support and help me continue this story. Right I came up with this idea, once during martial arts class, I really didn't like the fact that a lot of martial arts were so sexist, so yeah, I decided to write a fic including women who could fight back.**

**Thank you everyone for reading, and please, please, please, leave a review. You wouldn't believe how encouraging it is to read. Thanks again!!!!!!!!^_^**

**Prologue**

Ippo looked up at the morning sky and sighed. He closed his eyes peacefully as he lay on the steep little hill by the tree that he first practised boxing. His idol Takamura would be challenging the World in a few months, and his rival / friend Ichiro Miyata was now the OPBF Champion. The gap had finally been closed.

He frowned as he felt a shadow loom over him. He opened his eyes slightly noticing that somebody was squatting by his side. His eyes widened in surprise as he recognised the 21 yr old man next to him.

"Sendo-san!" Ippo exclaimed in surprise. He hadn't seen Sendo since the time he took the Japanese Feather Weight Belt from him.

"Yo Ippo! What are you doing around here lazing around?" Sendo asked, not in the least bit fazed about loosing to Ippo twice in the last year.

"N-Nothing, today was my day off, I-I'm not doing a-anything." Ippo said nervously, forcing himself to laugh.

"Well the way you speak, it's as if you're hiding something." A female voice sounded behind him. He turned around to see a girl, aged 19, with dark brown hair that came to her mid back. The glint in her brown eyes and the sly smile reminded him of the man sitting next to him.

"She's right. I don't expect you to pity me, because I lost to you or something, Makunochi, I'm even preparing right now to beat you, and take the belt away from you." Sendo smiled viciously, showing off the reason why he was called the Naniwa Tiger.

"W-Well, I refuse to give up the belt Sendo-san." Ippo replied bravely to his challenge.

The girl standing behind them, looked back forth between the two of them, and finally snapped. She raised her fist and brought it crashing down on Sendo's head.

"Ow! What the hell woman?!" Sendo shouted at her, rubbing the growing bump on his head.

"Well, don't just ignore me, introduce me you idiot!" She shouted back at him. They were staring daggers at each other, their faces so close. Finally Sendo broke away, which surprised Ippo, Sendo isn't known very well to give up that easily, however small the task was.

"Ah, well, I guess I should. Yo Ippo, stay away from my girl." Sendo warned Ippo.

"Y-Your g-girl?" Ippo stammered confused.

"Jeez, you don't do anything properly do you? Move it!" She pushed Sendo aside, and sat next to Ippo. "Hi, my name is Sumiko Takahashi, and I'm not his girl, don't worry." She smiled sweetly at Ippo.

"Hmph." Sendo huffed, and put an arm around Sumiko.

"So--" Sendo began.

"Makunochi –san, sorry I kept you waiting." A voice sounded to Ippo's left, and they all looked up to see Kumi Mashiba standing there shyly looking down.

"Doing nothing huh? I wonder what her brother would say." Sendo said slyly. Immediately Ippo imagined Mashiba getting his flicker jabs ready.

"Kumi?" Sumiko asked and slowly stood up. At the sound of her voice, Kumi looked up to see Sumiko. For one second her face held a surprised expression, then without thinking she ran towards Sumiko and flung her arms over her.

"Sumi, when did you come back?" She asked, tears filling her eyes.

"Hey don't start crying on me now. I only came a while ago, with Takeshi. I guess it's been some time since we saw each other, right?" Sumi asked with a sad expression on her face.

"Some time?! It's been 5 years!" Kumi said angrily, hitting Sumi on the arm.

"Ow, stop getting so emotional, damn it!" Sumi said angrily.

Ipoo and Sendo looked back and forth between the two girls, and looked at each other surprised. They didn't realise that they knew each other.

"So, where do you guys want to go, now?" Sumi suddenly addressed the boys.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I wanted to go to the gym." Sendo said slowly.

"Yeah, so do I. Can we Kumi, please?" Sumi pleaded.

"Oh alright, that is if Makunochi – san doesn't mind."

"No, no let's go."

With that all four of them, decided to give a little visit to Kamogawa gym.

**10 minutes later.**

"Good morning!" Ippo called out, as he slid open the gym doors. All the boxers stopped practising and turned to look at the group of four. The four friends walked in, and searched for the coach and their other friends, but were unable to find none.

One of the boxers guessing who they were searching for said, "They're in the office."

Ippo thanked him, and the four hurriedly left for the office. They knocked on the door and went inside, only to find that the coach, Yagi-san, Shinoda – san, Kimura, Aoki, and Takamura were all watching the TV.

"Ah Ippo, I'm glad you're here, I was going to send for you. I wanted you to watch this press meet, Sendo it would be a good idea that you watch too." The Coach instructed them.

"Do you want us to leave, sir?" Kumi asked politely.

The coach smiled warmly at her, "There is no need. You can stay. It's just a press meet that we will be watching. Who is your new friend?"

"Oh, hi, I'm Sumiko Takahashi, but you can call me Sumi." Sumi introduced herself. Before the coach was able to welcome her, a loud sound erupted from the TV announcing the beginning of the press meet.

"Wait, you wanted to watch the Boxing Martial Arts Federation press meet?" Sumi asked slowly.

"Yes, how did you know?"

"It says right there on the TV... but the point is... are you planning on sending any boxers to represent Japan?"

"Yes, I was thinking of sending Ippo for the 18 – 25 age group. I heard that Sendo had already been selected." The Coach said looking at Sendo.

"Well the country's strongest are being sent after all. I'm not the same as I was before you know." Sendo said smiling.

They all turned to look at the TV as the press meet began. Several boxers and martial artists were sitting around a long rectangular table facing each other as if in business meetings. They were the current Champions in their fields. However only a few of them were present since they were the ones who had already signed the contracts with the Boxing Martial Arts Federation.

There were some familiar faces among the Champions. One of them was the infamous Brian Hawk, the other the famous and popular Ricardo Martinez. After the press meet began, a waiter walked in asking each Champion for their preferred drink. When he got to the female Martial Arts champion sitting opposite Brian Hawk, she slowly stood up.

"_I'm sorry, but I'm starving! You see the only reason I really came to this press meet was to have my favourite dish."_ She said. She had shoulder length jet black hair, and fierce black eyes. She was in her mid twenties, probably about 26.

"_Your favourite dish?"_ The woman beside her asked. As a reply, the Champion punched Brian Hawk in the face, pushing his chair further away from her, and causing his nose to fracture.

"_Oh, sorry did I forget to mention? I punch pigs like him for lunch."_ She said sarcastically. Looking back at Brian Hawk, who was grinning despite his broken nose, she said, _"Don't look down on my people, and if I hear you say that Asian women are your favourite dish, I swear the next time we meet it won't end in a punch." _

**Twenty minutes later after the press meet had ended.**

"Well I definitely want to join. I want to punch Hawk's face straight back to hell!" Takamura said.

"No, I want you to coach the ones who will be leaving. They are Ippo Makunochi, Takeshi Sendo and Ichiro Miyata." The Coach said firmly.

"Miyata – kun?!" "WHAT?!" Ippo and Takamura shouted in unison.

"Yes, I have already discussed with his coach, and the Japanese Boxing Martial Arts Federation have already chosen you three." The Coach ignored Takamura.

"Hey, old man, you listening to me? I am the best, so I should go too!" Takamura shouted.

"No you're not. I don't want you to embarrass our country further."

"Besides you won't be able to fight Brian Hawk anyway. The Champions who have the contract are the judges they don't take part in the actual matches." Sumi explained, still staring intently at the TV. The others all turned to look at her.

"How do you know that?" Kimura asked slowly.

"Yeah knowing Sendo, he wouldn't have bothered to do any research, he would have just gone straight for the matches instead." Aoki said.

"Yeah...hey!" Sendo shouted in protest.

"Well, the answer's pretty simple, I would know because I'm going to be taking part in the matches as well." Sumi explained calmly.

"WHAT?!" Everyone, except Kumi and Sendo shouted in unison.

"Well, you do realise that the total number in a team should be five, there has to be approximately the same number of boxers and martial artists. Since we now have three boxers, the logical thing is to have two martial artists, and I just happen to be one of the martial artists who was chosen." Sumi replied.

"You're a martial artist?" The coach asked in disbelief.

"Yep, I'm a 5th Dan, so you should be happy. I'm pretty strong myself." Sumi said, looking pleased with herself.

"5th Dan, but you are only, what 19?"

"Yeah, but I did start training since I was about five you know. Anyway the point is that I will be starting training with you guys from now on. We only have about a month left, we should get to know each other pretty well in that time."

"Hmm... you're right, but I need to contact your coach, or teacher to know what sort of training program they put you through." The coach looked up at Sumi.

"Well I'm not so sure that's probable. You see I haven't really seen her for over five years now, and well... she is pretty busy, what with the matches and so on."

"Who is she?"

"Well the Martial Arts Champion, Saika Hiroshi, who just punched Brian Hawk. But I could ask my other two Senpais to come, they could help you out." Sumi said.

"Yes, that will be good." The Coach ended the conversation.

After the gym had closed, the Coach sat in his office with the other two helpers, staring intently at the poster in front of him. Yagi-san and Shinoda –san were getting worried, but then out of no where the coach look up and smiled.

"This is going to be an interesting year."


End file.
